Jon M. Chu
Jonathan Murray "Jon" Chu (born November 2nd, 1979) is an American filmmaker, best known for directing the movies Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Chu is an alumnus of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television; there, he won the Princess Grace Award, the Dore Schary Award presented by the Anti-Defamation League, the Jack Nicholson directing award and was recognized as an honoree for the IFP/West program Project: Involve. In 2015, he directed and co-produced Jem and the Holograms, a musical, fantasy, adventure film loosely based on the '80s TV animated series of the same name. Life and career Chu was born in Palo Alto, California, and grew up in nearby Los Altos. He attended Pinewood School from kindergarten through 12th grade. After making his student short, When the Kids Are Away, Chu was signed to William Morris Agency and attached to several high profile projects. He is in a dance crew called AC/DC, or Adam/Chu Dance crew, and is also currently directing the online series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. In an interview, Chu addressed a question he is often asked: "Why do all of your films have dance?" He responded: "I don't know why. It seems so obvious. But there's something about the dancers that motivate me the most. I don't know if it's just dance, but I do think that the dancers are amazing artists, and every time I meet a new dancer, that triggers something in my brain and I'm more creative than I could ever be. When I feel that creativity burst, I go with it. '' movie.]] In 2015, Chu directed and co-produced the musical, fantasy, adventure film, Jem and the Holograms, which was loosely based on characters and situations derived from the '80s TV animated series, Jem. The film was widely panned by critics worldwide, grossing only $2.3 million out of a $5 million budget. The general consensus was that the film deviated too much from its original source, relying instead on delivering a "by the numbers" drama-driven storyline. Filmography *''Silent Beats'' (2001) (director, writer, producer, sound, production designer) *''When the Kids Are Away'' (2002) (director, writer) *''Step Up 2: The Streets'' (2008) (director) *''Step Up 3D'' (2010) (director) *''The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers'' (2010–2011) (creator, executive producer, director, writer, editor) *''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never'' (2011) (director) *''Step Up Revolution'' (2012) (executive producer) *''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' (2013) (director) *''Justin Bieber's Believe'' (2013) (director) *''Step Up: All In'' (2014) (executive producer) *''Jem and the Holograms'' (2015) (director, producer) *''Now You See Me 2'' (2016) (director) Trivia *The Jem and the Holograms movie is the third time he works with actor Ryan Guzman, who plays Rio in the film. Ryan played Sean Asa in the third and fourth installments of the Step Up series. *Jon grew up watching the original animated series with his sisters which inspired him to make the live-action movie. Gallery Jon M. Chu - 02.jpg jonchu and hayley.JPG|Chu with Hayley Kiyoko on set Jon M. Chu - 04.jpg|Chu at the Never Say Never red carpet Jon M. Chu - 06.jpg|Chu with Justin Bieber at the Never Say Never red carpet Jon M. Chu - 05.jpg|Chu posing with a couple of G.I. Joe: Retaliation action figures Jon M. Chu - 07.jpg|Chu and Bieber at the Believe premiere in 2013 Jon M. Chu - 08.jpg|Chu and Bieber on the Believe filming set Related videos EXCLUSIVE!! JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENT Jem The Movie Update 1 JEMthemovie Needs your help!! Assignment 2 External links *IMDb *Facebook *Twitter Category:Directors Category:Film